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Susan Boyle musical first night reviews

‘I Dreamed A Dream’, the Susan Boyle musical telling the story of her rise to fame, has opened to largely positive reviews in Newcastle.



The singer even turned up to sing at the end of the stage musical of her life story, which is set to tour the country.

Starring 'Rab C Nesbitt' actress Elaine C Smith as SuBo, and written by Smith and Alan McHugh, the Susan Boyle musical touches on her early life growing up in West Lothian, set to popular pop songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s, before her transformation on 'Britain's Got Talent' in 2009.

It details her struggle as she was bullied at school, and how she had to cope with the death of her parents and older sister, leaving her to live alone in Blackburn with her cat Pebbles. But it does so with elements of humour.

[Related story: Has Britain's Got Talent found the male Susan Boyle?]


The Daily Telegraph's Veronica Lee called the show 'often funny and touching', but she added that there were potential issues with the storytelling in the second half of the show.

“Disquieting questions are not answered, such as why an obviously vulnerable individual was allowed to go on television without the usual primping and preening given to performers, however lowly, and why Boyle chose to go to London for the live final (which was watched by 14 million viewers) without a friend or family member.”

The Scotsman, who gave it four stars, wrote: “Although the new Susan Boyle musical ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ is not the greatest musical I’ve ever seen, it certainly has a rare intensity, and terrific theatrical energy.



“What we see is a clever, honest and highly theatrical script, which never tries to evade the darker aspects of Boyle’s experience, from the bullying at school, to the brutalising by the tabloids that followed her success.”

The Daily Mail was also positive, its critic Patrick Marmion saying that there was 'much fun to be had' from the 'cocktail of schmaltz and hyperbole', adding that it was 'more than just a get-rich-quick scheme or a piece of craven hagiography'.

‘I Dreamed A Dream’, the Susan Boyle musical, will be touring the UK with performances in Aberdeen, Bradford, Liverpool, Dublin, Bristol, Southend, Cardiff, Birmingham, Inverness and Manchester.

[Scotsman/Daily Mail/BBC/Daily Telegraph]